September 1, 1939 Germany's invasion of Poland triggers the start of World War II.Movie:A New Germany, 1933-1939: The World At War (1974) - DocumentaryBook: Richard C. Lukas, The Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles Under German Occupation

September 2, 1901 In a speech, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt warns the American people to "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in matters of diplomacy and war.Movie:The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt (1983) George C. ScottBook: Edmund Morris, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

September 3, 1916 The French turn German troops back in a bloody struggle at Verdun during World War I.Movie: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Lew AyresBook: Alistair Horne, The Price of Glory: Verdun, 1916

September 4, 1886 Indian leader Geronimo surrenders to the U.S. Government.Movie:Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) Jason PatricBook: Angie Debo, Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place

September 5, 1972 Arab terrorists seize Israeli athletes as hostages in the Munich Olympic Games.Movie:Prefontaine (1997) Jared LetoBook: Simon Reeve, One Day In September

September 6, 1533 The future Queen, Elizabeth I, is born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.Movie:Anne of a Thousand Days (1969) Richard BurtonBook: Carolly Erikson, Mistress Anne

September 7, 1901 The Peace of Peking ends with the Boxer Rebellion in China.Movie:The Boxer Rebellion (1963) Charlton HestonBook: Paul A. Cohen, History in Three Keys: The Boxers as Events, Experience and Myth

September 8, 1974 President Ford grants former President Richard M. Nixon an unconditional Pardon for any unlawful acts during his presidency.Movie: All The President's Men (1996) Dustin HoffmanBook: Joan Hoff, Nixon Reconsidered

September 16, 1776 General George Washington repulses British troops at the Battle of Harlem Heights.Movie:George Washington: The Forging of a Nation (1986) Barry BostwickBook: James Thomas Flexner, George Washington: The Indispensable Man

September 17, 1862 The bloodiest single day of Civil War combat begins at Antietam.Movie:Lincoln and Lee at Antietam (2009) - Documentary Book: Warren W. Hassler, General George B. McClellan: Shield of the Union

September 18, 1931 The Japanese invade Manchuria, violating the Kellog-Briand Pact of 1928.Movie: The Last Emperor (1987) John LoneBook: By Yamamuro Shin'ichi. Translated by Joshua A. Fogel, Manchuria Under Japanese Dominion

September 19, 1881 President James Garfield dies of wounds inflicted by an assassin two months earlier.Movie:No More Excuses (1968) Robert Downey Sr.Book: Allan Peskin, Garfield: A Biography

September 20, 1984 The United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon is bombed.Movie:Deadline (1987) Christopher WalkenBook: Eric Hammel, The Root: The Marines in Beirut, August 1982-February 1984

September 21, 1921 Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover, opens a national conference on unemployment.Movie:The Day the Bubble Burst (1982) Joseph HardyBook: Frank T. Nye Jr, Doors of Opportunity: The Life and Legacy of Herbert Hoover

September 22, 1862 President Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation calling for all slaves within areas under rebellion to be freed on January 1, 1863.Movie:The Perfect Tribute (1991) Jason RobardsBook: Frank Donovan, Mr. Lincoln's Proclamation: The Story of the Emancipation Proclamation

September 24, 1794 President George Washington orders the militia to put down the Pennsylvania Whiskey Rebellion.Movie: Independence (1976) John HustonBook: John R. Alden, George Washington and The Whiskey Rebellion

September 25, 1957 President Dwight Eisenhower orders United States Army troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to escort nine black students into public school.Movie: History of the Civil Rights Movement (1994) - DocumentaryBook: James C. Duram, A Moderate Among Extremists: Dwight D. Eisenhower and the School Desegregation Crisis

September 27, 1912 W.C. Handy's "Memphis Blues" becomes the first blues song to be published in the United States.Movie: Jazz (2000) - DocumentaryBook: James Dickerson, Goin' Back to Memphis: A Century of Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and Glorious Soul

September 28, 1920 Eight players on the Chicago White Sox baseball team are indicted on charges of throwing the 1919 World Series.Movie:World Series Fix! The Black Sox Scandal (2000) - TV Documentary.Book: Eliot Asinof, Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series

September 29, 1858 Horatio Nelson, future hero of the naval battles of Copenhagen, Abukir Bay, and Trafalgar is born in the village of Burnam Thorpe, Norfolk, UK.Movie: That Hamilton Woman (1941) Vivien LeighBook: Edgar Vincent, Nelson: Love and Fame

September 30, 1399 Richard II abdicates the throne of England, making way for the first Lancastrian king, Henry IV.Movie:Richard II (1983) David BirneyBook: James L. Gillespie, ed. The Age of Richard II (1997)